Just finished listening to the Thursday hour-long gabfest with Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The verbose duo allowed only 5 questions from Alaskans. Next time they may succeed in opining long enough so that there are no questions at all. They can do it if they keep trying.

They advertise these sessions as an opportunity for Alaskans to have a conversation with them.

Conversation requires two-way communication, not a filibuster. If the senators were interested in hearing what Alaskans want, they would talk less and listen more.

During any real conversation about the national health and economic crisis, made worse by a national collapse of leadership, the failures of the president of the United States would be mentioned prominently.

What Sen. Mitt Romney called the “unprecedented, historic corruption” in the Roger Stone case would come up. And the Trump claim that COVID-19 health problems would disappear if the nation didn’t test so much to find those who are ill.

But missing from the Murkowski/Sullivan lecture was any mention of Trump or his performance.

They held the stage for most of an hour with press release material—supporting the post office, unemployment benefits, the next bailout bill, why the defense budget can’t be cut, getting more money for Alaska and the need to direct more money to help businesses.

But they didn’t talk about the leader of their party even once.

That Murkowski and Sullivan regard Trump as unmentionable and won’t express an opinion about his behavior on key specifics—either support or opposition—is a sign of political cowardice.

Alaskans deserve to hear from them about sending troops into cities as a campaign stunt, inciting violence, and what they think of Trump’s failure to respond to reports of Russian bounties on U.S. military personnel.

Both Murkowski and Sullivan made a big show in 2016, after the Access Hollywood tape revealed another side of Donald Trump, that they couldn’t vote for such a creep.

After the election, Sullivan became a Trump loyalist, eager to kiss the ring whenever he was called upon. He never criticizes Trump.

That he cannot bring himself to express his Trump loyalty to a general audience of Alaskans suggests that maybe he knows deep down that he shouldn’t align himself with a guy who brags about passing a dementia test.

Murkowski has shown streaks of independence, which have drawn irrational attacks from Trump, who can’t handle any criticism. This independence, which is a strength, has cost her support from Republicans in the Trump cult. Her reticence to speak out about the deficiencies of Trump are founded on her innate caution, which at times is a strength, but is a grave weakness during an era in which the president is willing to destroy any institution to save his hide.

Two weeks have passed and neither Sullivan, nor Murkowski has had anything to say about Trump giving Stone a get-out-of-jail card. That two lawyers would keep quiet about this clear abuse of the justice system, pretending it is not important, is appalling.

They get away with it because Alaska news organizations have refused to cover the story or report that Murkowski and Sullivan don’t want to talk about it.

The inability to mention Trump was most notable with the postal question. Both senators pledged undying support for the postal service, but were unable to admit that the post office needs saving only because it is under attack by he whose name they could not utter.

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